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ECOWAS brings together experts and ministers in Dakar to adopt regional policies on sport, youth and volunteering

The ECOWAS Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS) is organising, in Dakar from 27 to 31 July, a meeting of experts, followed by a meeting of the Ministers responsible for Youth and Sport from the Member States, dedicated to consolidating, validating and adopting the main regional strategic frameworks designed to strengthen human capital development in West Africa. These high-level meetings will bring together representatives from the twelve ECOWAS Member States, regional institutions, technical and financial partners, as well as experts from the sports, youth and voluntary sectors. The proceedings focus on the review and validation of three major strategic documents: • the ECOWAS Youth Policy and its Strategic Action Plan 2026–2035; • the ECOWAS Sports Policy and its Strategic Action Plan 2026–2035; • the Strategic Policy Document for the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme and its Action Plan 2026–2035. These instruments aim to provide the region with harmonised frameworks to promote youth empowerment, strengthen the role of sport as a driver of peace, social cohesion and economic development, and consolidate volunteering as a tool for regional integration, citizenship and solidarity. Following the experts’ meeting, the recommendations formulated will be submitted to the Ministerial Meeting for validation and adoption, prior to their implementation in the Member States. On the sidelines of these proceedings, the ECOWAS Commission will officially launch the ECOWAS Youth and Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (ECOWAS Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Programme – EYWEP), implemented by the Centre for Youth and Sports Development with financial support from AUDA-NEPAD and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). This regional programme aims to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, skills development and access to sustainable economic opportunities for young people and women. Through these initiatives, ECOWAS reaffirms its commitment to investing in human capital, promoting inclusive public policies and strengthening cooperation between Member States in order to provide young people in West Africa with an environment conducive to their personal development, civic participation and contribution to the region’s sustainable development.